Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2022 Honda CR-V

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CR-V doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The CR-V doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tiguan has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Tiguan has standard Car-Net, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Tiguan and the CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Honda CR-V:

	Tiguan	CR-V
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	71
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	142 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	50 G’s
Hip Force	510 lbs.	567 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	330	386

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The CR-V’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CR-V’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CR-V.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the CR-V’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Honda.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 42 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 179) than the CR-V’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the CR-V (15.3 vs. 14 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the CR-V (15.9 vs. 14 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Tiguan higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda CR-V (6). This means the Tiguan produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CR-V every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Tiguan’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CR-V:

	Tiguan	CR-V
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CR-V (255/45R19 vs. 235/65R17).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CR-V Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan SEL R-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The CR-V’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Tiguan has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 5.2 inches longer than on the CR-V AWD (109.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Tiguan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.9% to 44.1%) than the CR-V’s (57.6% to 42.4%). This gives the Tiguan more stable handling and braking.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line 4Motion® handles at .83 G’s, while the CR-V Touring pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Tiguan 4Motion® is quieter than the CR-V Touring:

	Tiguan	CR-V
Full-Throttle	73 dB	78 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the CR-V can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 18 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CR-V (123.9 vs. 105.9).

The Tiguan has 4 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V.

The front step up height for the Tiguan is 1.6 inches lower than the CR-V (17.4” vs. 19”). The Tiguan’s rear step up height is .5 inches lower than the CR-V’s (17.5” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area is larger than the CR-V’s in almost every dimension:

	Tiguan	CR-V
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./37.5”/71”
Max Width	55”	54”
Min Width	39.8”	41.5”
Height	33.5”	41”

Servicing Ease

The Tiguan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CR-V uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Tiguan and the CR-V have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tiguan is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CR-V prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The CR-V’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the CR-V SE/EX/EX-L/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Tiguan’s standard variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The CR-V LX’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CR-V doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the Tiguan’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the CR-V’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The CR-V doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Tiguan’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring.

When the Tiguan SEL Premium is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The CR-V’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Tiguan SEL R-Line keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CR-V doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The CR-V doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Tiguan is less expensive to operate than the CR-V because typical repairs cost less on the Tiguan than the CR-V, including $36 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Volkswagen Tiguan 4Motion® higher than the Honda CR-V Touring.

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